


hummingbirds

by hey_you_with_the_face



Series: living with a wood nymph [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Adorable Castiel (Supernatural), Cas gets to rock a kilt-thing, Confused Dean, Cuddling & Snuggling, Hummingbirds, M/M, Mechanic Dean, Nymph Castiel, Wood Nymph Cas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-02 01:56:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11499342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hey_you_with_the_face/pseuds/hey_you_with_the_face
Summary: Dean has been seeing an unnatural amount of hummingbirds today so is it really a surprise that they had a unnatural cause?





	hummingbirds

It was official; spring was finally here and Dean Winchester was so damn happy he could cry.

This winter had been a colossal clusterfuck; what with all the damn snow that made getting to and from work a major pain in the ass and which also resulted in a ton of overtime at work since apparently no one knew how to drive, not to mention the issues he’d had with his water heater. But now that was over and he was more than glad to see the tail end of it. The minute he saw that first humming bird, his mood had been cranked all the way to eleven.

He’d spotted the colorful blur as he’d left the house that morning for work; it zoomed past his head with a dull buzzing noise that had him looking around for a bee or a hornet before he realized what it was.

“Well, would you look at that?” he’d muttered to himself, a smile slipping onto his face as he took in the blue tinted bird hovering next to the flowers hanging from his front porch. Sam liked to tease him about all the flowers in his yard but Dean ignored him; he had his own house now and damn it he was going to have plants wherever he damn well pleased.

Dean had paused for a minute to look at the bird flitting from flower to flower. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, little guy,” he had said before turning to leave, “I just hope I get to see more of you.”

It seemed that the universe wanted desperately to grant that wish.

At first he hadn’t quite noticed it. There had been a moment during the drive to work that he could’ve sworn he’d seen some flashes of bright color outside his window but he knew that it had to be some neon colored garbage that had floated by. Then Dean had seen a pair of hummingbirds hanging around the garage; this wasn’t too out of the ordinary though since his boss Bobby had some potted plants near the office door to ‘give this damn place a pleasant demeanor.’

No, the hummingbird issue didn’t really start to itch in the back of his mind until Garth, one of the other mechanics, came in from his lunch going on and on about all the cute birds he’d seen while he’d been out at the picnic table eating. 

“I swear there had to be about a dozen of them,” Garth had gushed as he got back to work on the Toyota he’d been working on before leaving. The tall gangly man had gestured wildly with his wrench to emphasize his point. “They were just zooming around and there had to be about a million different colors of them.”

Dean had been shoulders deep into an engine, otherwise he would have asked his coworker about what he’d seen, but he’d been forced to just listen; his curiousity growing as he filed the information away. 

Maybe there was some sort of migration going on.

He’d shrugged off the strange feeling he’d had and focused back on the task at hand. The car he’d been working on kept him busy for the rest of the afternoon and before he knew it, it was time to go home. Dean waved goodbye to Garth and Bobby before leaving.

While he was walking to his car, that familiar low buzzing sound approached him and sure enough, there was a green tinted hummingbird hovering by his head when he turned. To Dean’s surprise, the creature hovered there only a few inches away from his face for several long minutes; it was almost if it weren’t afraid of humans or something. 

Then another one appeared...and another...and another.

Soon, a bewildered Dean was surrounded by a circle of hummingbirds.

“Okay, this is a bit weird,” he said aloud, eyeballing all the different colors of birds that were essentially circling him. A small part of his mind feared that the birds were going to attack him ala Hitchcock but all they did was gambol about around him. Eventually he summoned the nerve to move to his car and leave; as soon as he started the Impala, the birds disbanded.

_Maybe they’re attracted to my cologne or something_ , Dean theorized as he drove home. Either way it didn’t really bother him, while it was indeed very weird, he liked seeing the little guys; it was more proof that spring was here and that was a-okay in his book.

He did marvel at bit when he finally made it home and began to walk inside. There were at least two dozen hummingbirds cavorting around his yard, hovering near his hanging plants or near the flowering shrubs. Dean figure this would be the most hummingbirds he’d ever see in his life.

With that thought in mind, Dean decided that he’d whip together a quick dinner and then bring it outside to eat; that way he could enjoy the warm weather and watch the birds. It had been a really great plan, until he tried to go inside.

He’d grown so used to the buzzing noise the hummingbirds made as they approached him so when one suddenly shot past his shoulder and into the open door; he’d been completely shocked. His surprise was compounded by the fact that another four birds buzzed past him and into the house as he paused to look in after the first bird.

“What the fuck,” he said, staring at open door of his house, mouth agape. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You can’t be going into my house. Get out!”

“But I thought you liked the hummingbirds.”

Dean most definitely did _not_ shriek like a little girl, though he may have jumped, as a deep voice suddenly sounded behind him. He spun around, ready to kick the ass of whoever it was standing behind him, but froze as he came face to face with them.

The most attractive man Dean had ever seen in his entire life was standing not two feet away from him, leaning a hip casually on Dean’s porch swing. 

Dressed in a dark blue kilt looking thing that ended around mid way on his muscular thighs, the man before him was barefoot and not wearing a shirt which in turn allowed him to display a rather fantastically muscled chest. Dean’s eyes continued to catalogue information about this sudden visitor, like the strong jaw and messy dark hair that curled around his head almost like a halo with what looked like leaves stuck in it but none of that held a candle to the man’s eyes.

Dean stared into a pair of the bluest eyes, a stunning feature in an of themselves, but the trait that had him trapped within that gaze was the small fact that the man’s eyes were so bright it was as if they were glowing slightly.

“Who the hell are you and what are you doing on my porch?” Dean asked gruffly, he hoped it was gruff anyway, trying to hide his obvious attraction and decent sized amount of trepidation from the half naked man before him.

The man tilted his head, looking as innocent as a lost puppy, before nodding in understanding. “Ah, yes, I’ve forgotten basic human customs,” he said, as if that explained anything, and stood up straight before he stuck out a hand. “My name is Castiel. I wanted to see how you were enjoying the hummingbirds.”

“Dean Winchester,” Dean replied reflexively, grasping the hand in front of him on instinct. He almost jumped as a tingling electricity-like feeling jolted up his arm as his skin came in contact with the guy’s hand. That was surprising enough but then what the man had said had finally sunk in. 

Wait...what?

“Uh...are you high or something, buddy?” Dean asked, not unkindly. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d run into a person under the influence; there was a local community college close by and some of the students liked to party in the woods that butted up to Dean’s backyard. Though usually those kids just streaked through his yard on dares, no one had ever actually come up to his house before.

“I’m not sure what you are referring to,” the man, Castiel, replied. There was that little head tilt and for some unknown reason it made Dean feel a bit strange inside, like butterflies, or hummingbirds, in his stomach.

_Well you know why that is_ , his brain chimed in ruefully, _it’s because you have an extremely hot half-dressed dude standing on your porch looking all tanned and muscle-y._

Dean shook his head and sighed. “I’m asking if you’ve taken any drugs,” he explained, watching the man closely for any signs of recognition. “Because I figure that’s the most likely explanation as to why you’re running around in next to nothing and asking me about hummingbirds.”

“Oh, drugs; I believe I’ve heard of those,” Castiel said, his face lighting up as the term seemed to sink in and Dean relaxed a bit as they finally started to make some progress; he was just about to suggest they call someone to pick him up to take him home when Castiel started shaking his head. “But I would never ingest such things; they are comprised of chemicals and such things could make me gravely ill. My brother once told me about another nymph who was given something called ‘alcohol’ and almost died.”

Was this guy serious?

Whistling lowly, Dean wondered just how fucked up this guy was; someone had obviously given him some really good shit. It was obvious that Castiel needed time to come off of what he’d taken but the problem was how to get him home. The guy was under the impression he was a nymph or some nonsense, he definitely wasn’t going to be able to remember where his apartment was and from what Dean could see, there weren’t any pockets in that getup for a wallet.

There seemed to be only one option.

_Please don’t let him be a psycho_ , Dean pleaded with the universe as he made his decision.

“Listen buddy, I think you need some time to chill out,” he said slowly, hoping his words will sink into whatever drug induced haze this guy was currently in. Castiel looked at him, his eyes strangely bright for someone drugged out of their mind. “So why don’t you come inside, I’ll get you something to eat and once you feel better, we’ll get you home. Sound good?” 

A few seconds passed, the buzzing sounds of all the hummingbirds surrounding Dean’s porch being the only thing to break the silence, before Castiel nodded. “If you think that is best, Dean.”

“Alright then, let’s get you inside,” Dean said, pushing the partially open door all the way open and gestured for Castiel to go through. The strange man padded past him and through the door, looking around curiously; it was like it was his first time indoors or something. Shaking his head at how freaking weird his day was, Dean followed his new guest inside.

“I’ll get you some clothes to wear,” he said after he’d put his keys and lunchbox down on the kitchen counter. “You’re gonna catch a cold running around in just that kilt; it’s not that warm out yet.”

Castiel didn’t even glance away from his intense scrutiny of Dean’s coffee pot. “There’s no need to worry about that, Dean” he said mildly, prodding at the glass pot, “Wood nymphs such as myself are quite hardy. We’re made to live outdoors in all seasons; the cold does not affect me like it would a human.”

And another delusional thought courtesy of either pot or some other way of getting high.

Dean had dealt with enough people who indulged to know that arguing was pointless; he’d have to try another tactic.

“Well whether cold affects you or not,” he said with a slightly aggravated huff. “I can’t have you running around half naked in my house, man. So you're gonna have to put on a pair of sweatpants on.”

This caused Castiel to stand up, his face concerned. “Does my attire make you uncomfortable?” He paused, looking down at his toned bare stomach then down at his feet before looking at Dean almost sheepishly. “I may have forgotten about humans’ preference for ample clothing; I will wear these sweatpants if it puts you at ease,” Castiel finished, looking at him earnestly.

Having the answer he wanted and not really caring about the odd reasoning behind it, Dean walked to the laundry room and dug around in the laundry he’d done the other day. Luckily for him there was a pair of his sweats in the basket and he held them up with a small cry of victory. 

Castiel was still analyzing his kitchen when he returned; Dean handed him the pants which he took with no argument.

“Okay, you change into those and while you’re doing that---” Dean’s voice trailed off as he watched with a mix of shock and embarrassment as Castiel placed the sweats on the counter and deftly untied the knot that secured the kilt-skirt thing around his trim and quite frankly distracting hips.

Dean could could confirm the state of the man’s hips in detail because Castiel proceeded to release his grip, allowing the fabric to puddle at his feet and leaving him completely nude. For a few seconds, Dean could do nothing but stare open mouthed.

_For a crazy dude, he’s extremely hot_ , Dean thought to himself as his traitorous eyes slipped down the exposed chest to the toned stomach, the trail of hair that lead down to his…

“Okay!” Dean exclaimed suddenly as he clapped his hands, abruptly reversing the direction of his eyes and looking absolutely anywhere besides the _naked dude_ in front of him. Keeping his gaze studiously on the rest of the kitchen, Dean walked over and stuck his head in the fridge. “Um so you uh--put those on and I’ll---I’ll get us some sandwiches made, sound good? Yeah, that sounds good,” he babbled, staring a hole into the milk jug in an attempt to wipe the image of what he’d seen from his mind so he could look the man in the face without blushing like a schoolgirl. 

After a few minutes he knew he couldn’t stand with his head in the fridge forever so he grabbed some lunch meat and cheese at random and emerged from his hiding place. He breathed an internal sigh of relief as he saw that Castiel was now wearing the sweats but to his dismay, his brain latched quickly latched onto the thought of how good those sweats looked clinging loosely to those hips.

_Stop fantasizing about the crazy drugged guy_ , he chided himself as he took the sandwich makings over to the counter. He was momentarily distracted by the sight of his sad aloe plant in its usual place on top of the breadbox.

Dead...again.

Damn, that was the about the dozenth one he’d bought at this point. Sam had raved about how useful the little plants were in the kitchen for dealing with small burns so in a fit of curiosity Dean had bought one. To the annoyance of his big brother ego, the plant had come in handy a few times when he’d allowed himself to become distracted while cooking and been burnt.

The only problem was, while he was pretty handy with outdoor gardening, that skill didn’t seem to carry over into indoor plants. Time and time again, Dean would watch the poor things shrivel and die after a few weeks. It was frustrating to say the least.

Distracted by making their sandwiches, Dean was more than a little startled when suddenly he felt a warm body bump against his own. He turned to see Castiel staring at his depressing aloe plant, a look of intense concentration on his face.

“Oh, yeah,” Dean said, slightly embarrassed by his lack of skill. “I guess I don’t have much of a green thumb---” His voice trailed off as he watched Castiel reach a hand out towards a brown shriveled leaf with his finger tip. 

_Holy fuck_ , was the only thought that resonated through Dean’s mind as he watched the tips of Castiel’s fingers glow, _fucking glow_ , as they came into contact with the dried out aloe plant. Absolutely no thoughts became possible as he watch dumbstruck as the light seemed to transfer from the man’s fingers into the plant.

The plant immediately started to return to its original green color and took on an appearance of perfect health that Dean couldn’t have ever imagined for one of his indoor plants.

“W-what the fuck was that?!” Dean managed to eek out as Castiel withdrew his hand, looking satisfied with whatever the hell he’d just done to Dean’s plant. Dean backed away until his lower back struck the kitchen counter. This time when he spoke, his voice was a bit stronger. “What the hell did you just do? Did you drug me or something? Who in the fucking fuck are you?!”

Instead of looking angry at being accused or upset that his dastardly plan had been discovered, Castiel tilted his head to the side, his brows knit in confusion.

“I helped your plant; it needed to be revitalized or else it would have died in several hours,” he said simply as if it were commonplace for someone to touch a dying plant and bring it back to life. Castiel looked from the now vibrant plant to Dean. “And I believe we had our introductions outside, I’m Castiel and as I said before, I would never handle these ‘drugs’ as they are toxic to me.”

Dean laughed, the sound a teeny bit hysterical to his own ears. “Yeah because you’re a wood nymph,” he scoffed, putting extra emphasis on these last two words. He rolled his eyes and glared at the man, creature, in his kitchen. “Nymphs are freaking real and besides, why the hell would a wood nymph be in my kitchen, huh?”

More confused looks from Castiel. “I’m here because you invited me in for food,” he replied slowly and deliberately, treating Dean like he’d been hit on the head and was now experiencing amnesia or something. He gestured down at the sweats he wore. “You brought me inside and gave me these trousers to wear as well before you began making food for us.”

The guy, if he was a guy anyway after that little show with the plant Dean suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore, seemed to whole heartedly believe he was a friggin’ wood nymph. There wasn’t a single trace of deceit or doubt on his face or in his eyes.

...his eyes. Those bright blue eyes that seemed to glow.

What if they actually were? What if it wasn’t a trick of the light?

_You can’t be buying this!_ His mind shouted at him. _The guy is obviously a nutjob and somehow he slipped you a roofie or something. You’re hallucinating and you need to get this weirdo out of your house so you can go to the hospital._

But there was the eyes. And that electrical spark that he’d felt when he’s shaken Castiel’s hand out side. Not to mention the way the man seemed completely and utterly aware of how to function as a normal human being. 

_Because he’s_ not _just a normal human being_ , another side of his brain spoke up. _A lot of weird shit’s been happening today, what with all those weird hummingbirds, a wood nymph would actually make it seem to make sense._

“Did you have anything to do with the hummingbirds?” Dean suddenly blurts out, remembering how focused Castiel had been on the birds when they’d first met. Hell, the first thing he’d said to Dean was a question about whether he liked them.

To Dean’s surprise, this question caused Castiel to look almost bashful. His cheeks tinged pink as he looked down at his feet. “Yes, I may have encouraged the hummingbirds into following you today,” he admitted sheepishly before looking up, face earnest. “But you said this morning that you’d like to see more of them; the sight of them seemed to make you so happy that, well, I thought it would make you smile.”

There were several moments of silence as Dean tried to absorb this information.

So if he were hearing things correctly, wood nymphs were real and apparently this one had some sort of crush on Dean that compelled him to have hummingbirds follow him around all day just because he’d overheard that Dean liked the one he’d seen this morning.

Yeah, because that didn’t sound insane in the slightest.

_But how else would you explain the plant?_ He asked himself, looking over at the very alive aloe plant that had been crumpled and dying just a few minutes ago. Sure it was possible this was a dream but it didn’t feel like one. The counter edge at the small of his back and the cold surface of the counter beneath his fingers felt very real…

Was he really considering that Castiel wasn’t completely insane?

“Let’s say you aren’t just a crazy person in a kilt thing,” Dean said cautiously, crossing his arms and eyeing him cautiously. “Why me?”

Castiel shrugged. “At first you interested me because you were the first person to live near my forest who seemed to actually care about the plants,” he explained, gesturing through the window to the backyard. When Dean had first bought this place, it had been overgrown to the point where some of it was dying; it had taken more than a few months of hard work to get it all sorted out but now it looked pretty damn good in his opinion. “But the longer I observed you, the more I became curious about you.”

“So basically a wood nymph has been stalking me for years,” Dean said as he nodded slowly, trying to grasp what was going on. He clapped his hands, deciding to move on since apparently his brain had reached its crazy capacity for the day. “Okay, well, I’ll tell you what Cas, I’m still not entirely convinced that all of this isn’t a weird ass dream but what I do know is I’m hungry.” 

He walked over to their half constructed sandwiches and hastily threw the last few ingredients together. Turning around he held on plate out to Castiel. “Wait, can you even eat sandwiches?” Dean asked as the thought suddenly occurred to him. “Like, it’s not going to kill you or anything, is it?”

Shaking his head, Castiel took the proffered plate from his hand. “I can partake of human food, I’ve had it in the past and must admit it’s quite tasty,” he answered, prodding the sandwich before breaking off a piece and popping it in his mouth. “My brother is quite fond of sweets. I myself prefer cheeseburgers though I do feel slightly guilty for eating the meat of cows; cows are such sweet creatures if a bit temperamental at times..”

Dean was momentarily distracted by how strangely adorable Castiel looked with the slight crinkle between his brow as he nibbled at his sandwich. Once he realized he was staring, he quickly averted his eyes and began eating his own food, trying to process just what the hell had happened this afternoon.

On one hand logic dictated that he boot Castiel and his wild claims of being a mystical wood nymph out his door at the earliest opportunity. There was obviously no such thing as wood nymphs and even if there were, why in the fuck would there be one in his backyard? It made absolutely no sense at all.

Except...it sort of did.

How else could Dean explain the extremely strange antics of the local hummingbird population? It was way too early for that many of them to be hanging around these parts and while they did sometimes get near him when he was taking care of the flowering bushes and the feeders; Dean had never in his life been so close to them to the point he could admire their coloring and then there was the plant. 

Reaching a hand out tentatively, his finger stroked the healthy green spines of the plant; it felt so real and vibrant under his touch and was the most damning evidence of all.

Maybe it made him nuts but Dean found himself actually _wanting_ to believe

“That was a very delicious meal,” Castiel said, breaking Dean out of his somewhat unsettling yet oddly relieving revelation. He looked up to see Castiel setting his plate down on the counter gently and giving him a small smile. “I truly appreciate your hospitality but I must be returning to my forest,” he continued as he stepped back and started to turn away, “I have much to do---oh!”

Dean dropped the remains of his sandwich on the counter in his rush to grab Castiel before he hit the floor. “Whoa! Are you alright?” Dean asked as he looped one of his arms around Castiel’s waist, guiding him to one of his kitchen chairs. 

Once he was situated, Dean began to look him over. It was then that he noticed that Castiel was slightly paler than he’d been before and there were the beginnings of slight dark circles under his eyes. Castiel gently waved him off with a small smile. 

“I’m fine,” he said tiredly; when he looked up Dean swore he was blushing slightly. “I may have over stretched myself today.” Castiel gestured outside where it was starting to get dark. “My powers aren’t quite up to speed yet since it’s still technically winter.”

“Wait,” Dean said, pulling out another chair and sitting down. “So you’re telling me that you’re batteries are low? I thought nymphs were magic.”

Leaning forward to prop his chin on his hand, Castiel nodded. “We are indeed ‘magic’ as you put it but my kind’s power is drawn from the energy of the earth,” he explained. “Since during the winter months the earth’s energy is low, so is my own.”

“So basically you wasted a bunch of energy to make a bunch of hummingbirds follow me around today when you really can’t afford to be wasting it?” Dean asked, completely forgetting his reluctance to even believe in Castiel’s existence in deference to his annoyance that he would throw away something that was clearly very crucial to him in an effort to fulfill one of Dean’s stupid wishes. “That wasn’t very smart, Cas.”

Frowning in confusion, Castiel shook his head. “I don’t feel that it was a waste; it made you smile and that makes it worthwhile.”

That admission most certainly did not make Dean want to blush like crazy.

Dean cleared his throat as a silence fell over the kitchen. “Well--uh--that’s really, um, nice of you,” he said, trying not to get distracted by the adorably drowsy look on Cas’ face. “But you shouldn’t be doing things like that; if you’re low on juice, you should save it.”

In the most normal gesture Dean had seen him do since meeting him, Castiel rolled his eyes. “I’m completely fine, Dean. I just need some time to rest.” He started to try and stand up. “Now I will get out of your way and---”

“Nope,” Dean said standing up and steering Cas towards the living room. “You’re going to come over here and sit down and rest.” He paused as a problem occurred to him and he looked over at him. “You don’t have to be like, in the ground or something to recharge right?”

If he did, Dean had more than enough spare blankets to make up something cozy for Cas to rest in. Or there was that old tent from when he and Sammy used to go camping; he could cut the bottom out of it so that Cas could be in contact with the earth…

“No, that is not necessary,” Cas assured him as they made it into the living room. Dean made sure Cas was comfortable with a blanket wrapped around him. “I just need to make sure I don’t expend too much energy for a while.” He paused, head tilted as he thought. “Actually, being indoors may be beneficial since I won’t have to regulate my body temperature.”

Smiling, Dean sat down on the other side of the couch. “Alright then, let’s watch some TV while you recharge then, sound good?”

Dean reached for the remote, turning the TV to the nature channel in hopes that Cas would enjoy it. Now he could finally relax and unwind after this insane day; Dean kicked off his boots and settled back into the couch as the tension started to ease from his muscles. 

Only to tense again as a warm body snuggled into his side.

Too shocked by the fact that Cas had wriggled himself tight against him and rested his head against his shoulder, Dean couldn’t say anything and it got harder and harder to do so as time went on so...he didn’t. 

Blame it on the fact that he’d been living alone for so long or because he could, in the privacy of his own mind, admit that he was attracted to Cas, wood nymph or not, but either way, Dean was oddly content. He had a full stomach, was sitting on the couch watching a decently interesting show about nature’s deadliest animals while a handsome man...creature...curled into his side. All in all, it wasn’t a truly horrible situation and, the way he figured it, the worst thing that could happen was he woke up alone in his bed and realized this had been a crazy dream.

A soft noise broke him out of his thoughts and he looked down, smiling softly at the sight of Cas fast asleep, snoring lightly with his face burrowed into his chest. Careful not to wake Cas, Dean shifted so he was sitting comfortably, readjusted Cas’ blanket so he was tucked in, and settled in to watch TV.

Twenty minutes later, Dean had taken a page out of Cas’ book and was out like a light, curled protectively around the warm weight at his side.

**Author's Note:**

> Many many moons ago, I saw a prompt about coming home one day and having a bunch of hummingbirds showing up which started this fic. It sat in my google docs about seventy five percent complete for months until I recently decided to put 'clean up all the damn works in progess' to my to do list and, since I need a little break from the big bang, I finished it up but now I really want to keep going and write some clueless nymph Cas *facepalm*
> 
> Oh well, at least I finished this part, haha :)


End file.
